Paraffin Dip

A treatment for the symptoms of joint and muscle conditions, such as arthritis, that consists of melted mineral wax derived from petroleum applied to a body area. Paraffin dips can be especially helpful in relieving the pain and stiffness of arthritis involving the small joints of the hands when used as a small bath. The hands are repeatedly dipped into the melted, warm wax and the wax allowed to cool and harden around the sore joints. The paraffin is then removed by peeling off and can be remelted in the bath for repeated use. Also called wax dip.

Wax diptreatment services are available at salons and spas - especially ones targeting older people as their customer base. For instance, some spas offer wax baths in which the entire body, except the face and head, is wax-dipped. Wax baths can be especially soothing and therapeutic for those who experience joint or muscle pain in several different areas of the body.

In order to take a paraffin bath treatment, paraffin pellets are melted at 135oF in the paraffin bath, a container designed specially to be used for paraffin bath. The bath has heating elements which help in melting the wax. After the paraffin melts, the body part to be treated, is inserted into the bath, and quickly taken out. The paraffin wax forms a coat on the body part. This process of inserting and removing is repeated a number of times to ensure that the person gets as much of relief as possible and a thick coat starts to form. The heat gets trapped into the coat and starts treating the affected part. In order to provide more heat, the coat is further covered with plastic bags and thick towels or mittens or socks. These coverings also ensure that the part to be treated receives maximum heat which reaches the tissues and the muscles and provides enormous relief to the sufferer. The coat is kept on for about 20 minutes to half an hour, after which it is removed and discarded.

People with sensitive skin may not find relief from using a wax dip. Rather, they could experience inflamed skin. If a person isn’t sure if his or skin will tolerate wax dips well, it’s a good idea to test only a small area such as one finger. Wax dips should never be applied to open sores, over rashes or on skin irritations of any type.